Skip the Drive-Thru Line: A Caramel Frappuccino You Can Blend in 6 Minutes Flat
Ice, espresso, milk, and a caramel swirl come together faster than you can find your car keys.
Dowell Cooks5 min readPrint this post
No line, no upcharge for oat milk, no barista getting your name wrong. Just your blender.
Hey, welcome back to Dowell Cooks! If you know me, you know I'm all about easy, delicious stuff that doesn't ask much of you. This one barely counts as cooking. It's ice, espresso, and caramel going into a blender for about a minute, and coming out the other side tasting exactly like the drink you'd pay six bucks for.
What to put next to it
This drink is dessert wearing a coffee costume, so treat it that way. It's great alongside something salty and simple, like buttered toast or a plain bagel, to balance out all that sweetness. It also works solo as an afternoon treat—you don't even need a plate.
What to actually buy
Grab whatever milk you already drink, whole milk gives you the creamiest result but any milk works fine here. For caramel sauce, an ice cream topping style caramel (thick, pourable, made for drizzling) blends in smoother than a thin syrup. And for the espresso, if you don't have a machine, a very strong pot of drip coffee or a few tablespoons of instant espresso powder dissolved in hot water gets you there.
Switch it up
Swap the caramel for chocolate syrup and you've got a mocha frap. Add a shot of peppermint extract in December and it turns into a holiday drink instantly. In summer I'll sometimes blend in a handful of frozen banana with the ice, which mellows the sweetness and makes it taste more like a milkshake than a coffee drink, in the best way.
- Contains
- milk
- Fits
- Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Halal, Kosher
Halal and kosher also depend on how the ingredients are sourced and certified.
Substitutions that still taste like the recipe.
Don't have exactly what the recipe calls for? Here's what works instead.
- club soda
Brings tangy notes.
- water
- seltzer
- cottage cheese
Lacks the buttery notes; more delicate.
- buttermilk↑ sour
Lacks the fresh and grassy notes; sharper.
- sour cream↑ sour
Lacks the fresh and grassy notes; drier; richer.
- coconut cream↑ fatty
Brings fruity notes.
- whole milk↓ fatty
- whipped topping↓ fatty
Brings fruity notes.
- Dairy & Eggs
- $0.46
- Condiments & Sauces
- $0.61
- Baking
- $0.28
Some prices are estimates.
Common questions
Can I make this without an espresso machine?
Why is my frappuccino watery instead of thick?
Is the xanthan gum necessary?
Can I make it less sweet?
That's it, that's the whole recipe. Six minutes, one blender, zero drive-thru small talk required. Go make yourself one, top it with way too much whipped cream, and let me know how you swirl your caramel. Browse all recipes for more easy stuff like this.
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